SBS Starts Here | Convocation 2026

Every student waits for the big milestones throughout their school career, the biggest one being senior year. And for me, it is here! Walking into the first convocation of my last year at Second Baptist School was a surreal experience. I saw all of my familiar classmates' and teachers' faces, walked into the same Worship Center and sat in the same seats I have sat in since middle school. But this time it was different. Now, our Head Prefect, Carson Patterson '27, is a friend from my grade, and references to seniors were about my class.

As the school community worshiped and reflected on this year’s theme of Starts Here, I was reminded of the fact that although many seniors could see this year as the end of something, I see it as the beginning. Yes, I will leave SBS, go to college, meet new friends and live life a bit differently, but ultimately my time at Second Baptist School has equipped me to step into this new, upcoming chapter successfully. I do not have to view the milestone of my senior year as the end but as a continuation of what I have been preparing for all along.

I am prepared to serve and lead others. From cheering on the sidelines to working in the Communications Office, I have learned what it takes to be a team player while also using my voice to step into new responsibilities. I am prepared to share my faith. At SBS, I am encouraged to open up about my walk with the Lord and learn more about His character, making me bolder to those not only within my circle, but outside of it as well. I am prepared to do hard things. From state competitions to musical theater practices to AP classes, I have learned what it looks like to push myself, trust my teachers and coaches and be successful while doing so.

Throughout my time at SBS, I have not simply checked off boxes of schoolwork; I have grown and flourished, becoming more confident in who God has made me to be! Each year, convocation is more than a service of welcome; it is the turning of a page into a new chapter of each person’s story, and I could not be more excited for the things God has in store for me and for each individual within the Second Baptist School community.

Written by Communications Fellow Lizzie Baker '27